Cost and traffic threatens the end of the road for the Sunday drive

MUCH-loved by families since the 1950s, the traditional "Sunday drive" may have reached the end of the road, driven into the dust by dull motorways and competition for our leisure time.

Happier than to ever to stay close to home and scared off by increasing traffic, Australian families are seemingly no longer lured by the simple pleasure of being on the road.

Car use overall is on the decline, according to the Australian Automobile Association's 2013 Report, and enthusiasts have noticed waning interest in the once popular weekend family outing.

"The traditional view of the Sunday drive is dead,'' said Kris Ashton, from Australian Classic Car Magazine.

The change is marked for people who grew up sharing the bonding experience of the open road with their loved ones.

The Witcombe family, from Picton, with their 1969 Mini Cooper S and their 1975 Mini Moke.Source:News Limited

"My father was into Fords. On Sundays he would take us to the beach or the mountains,'' said Julie Witcombe, 43, from Picton in NSW, about the Sunday drives of her childhood.

"Without the motorways it was a lot more of an interesting drive.''

Graeme Davison, author of the book Car Wars: How The Car Won Our Hearts and Conquered our Cities which tracks the origins of the Sunday drive back to the 1950s, said the original popularity was fuelled by a simple excitement for driving.

``People were driving out for the sheer pleasure of being in a car and driving somewhere,'' he said.

"I lived in Essendon, and you were within reach of open country within two or three miles. We would drive out on a Sunday afternoon and go mushrooming in the paddocks or drive out to the Essendon Airport and watch planes taking off and landing.

"The destination was in some ways incidental to the driving.''

High petrol prices, traffic congestion, road tolls and better home leisure options have all conspired to take the fun out of the driving experience.

The Witcombe family, from Picton, with their 1969 Mini Cooper S and their 1975 Mini Moke.Source:News Limited

Will Bleeker, the owner of the Robertson Pie Shop, located on a popular road on the outskirts of Sydney, has noticed the change, saying people will now stay home "at the drop of a hat".

However, he said car club convoys have become a more common sight on the road.

"In the last ten years car clubs have become popular. They all get on these internet forums and organise things,'' said Mr Bleeker.

The classic car community, in particular, is trying to keep the Sunday drive going.

Following in her father's tyre tracks, Mrs Witcombe is part of a Mini car club that does regular weekend social convoys.

She takes her husband, Wayne, and two sons, Hayden and Joel on outings with the car club that recreate the simplicity of the Sunday drives of the 1950s.

"You don't have air conditioning, you don't have radio. There's nowhere to plug your iPod into. It's just the fun of actually driving," she said.